Southee wins fans for demolition

Northland's Tim Southee has been nominated for New Zealand Cricket's Fans' Choice Award for outstanding individual performance.

The Waiotira raised Black Cap took 5-18, including a hat-trick, in a Twenty20 match at Eden Park to help the Kiwis beat Pakistan by five wickets. His five wickets came in the space of eight balls and it was the first five-wicket haul by a New Zealander in a T20 international.

The Fan's Choice Award gives cricket supporters the unique opportunity to vote for the player who has produced the most outstanding performance in the past year.

The winner will be announced at The National Bank Awards dinner next month with one lucky fan getting the chance to present the award.

Other nominees are Neil Wagner - the Otago left-arm bowler, who became the first bowler in the history of first-class cricket to take five wickets in a six-ball over. He reduced Wellington from 136 for four to 136 for nine in the final over before lunch and finished with career-best figures of six for 36. The final four wickets were all bowled.

Black Cap strike bowler Chris Martin, who took five for 63 in the first test against India at Ahmedabad, helping reduce the home side to 15 for 5 in the sixth over. In the devastating opening spell he dismissed Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina before picking the wicket of MS Dhoni later in the day.

Ross Taylor was nominated for his assault on Pakistan at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, hitting an unbeaten 131 to set up a 110-run win. His score came off 124 balls with 62 runs coming off the last 16 balls he faced.

Nineteen-year-old Canterbury bowler Matt Henry is the final nominee. Henry took five for 23 in nine overs on debut to help the Canterbury Wizards to an outright win over Wellington in the Plunket Shield. Henry came into the match as a replacement after Andrew Ellis and Todd Astle attended a funeral following the Christchurch earthquake in February.

Cricket fans can vote on their favourite individual performance from the 2010/11 season at www.blackcaps.co.nz/fanschoice. Voters go into the draw to win the chance to present the trophy live on SKY TV at the National Bank Awards dinner.